Minister Edward Nalbandian’s visit to the UN Headquarters

01 October, 2013

On September 25-29, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Edward Nalbandian visited New York in order to participate in the General Debate of the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

In his speech at the General Debate, Minister Nalbandian stressed Armenia’s concern regarding the worsening humanitarian situation in Syria. “[T]he number of refugees that Armenia continues to receive already exceeds ten thousand, yet other tens of thousands of Syrian-Armenians still remain in that country which has become their second home after the Genocide of 1915, and struggle for their survival in unbearable conditions together with their Syrian countrymen” he said. The Minister also welcomed the unanimously adopted Security Council resolution 2118, and expressed hope that it can lead to the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria and pave the way to the political solution of the Syrian crisis, putting an end to the sufferings of the Syrian people.

On resolution process of the Nagorno Karabakh issue Edward Nalbandian stated that “[T]hree months ago, on June 18th the Presidents of the three Co-Chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, United States and France, made a new statement on Nagorno-Karabakh in the framework of G8 Summit in Enniskillen. In Armenia, we welcomed this statement saying that, as the Co-Chairs, we continue to believe that the elements outlined in the statements of the heads of the Co-Chair countries over the last five years can be the basis for reaching a fair and lasting settlement of the conflict. We share the position of the Co-Chair countries, that those elements should be seen as an integrated whole and that any attempt to select some elements over others would make it impossible to achieve a solution. We absolutely agree that peoples should be prepared for peace, not war. Unfortunately until now the Azerbaijani leadership is doing just the opposite and is increasing warmongering and anti-Armenian hate-speech on a daily basis using even the highest podium of the United Nations.

We absolutely agree with the heads of the three Co-Chair countries, the three permanent members of the Security Council, that the use of force will not resolve the conflict, and that only a negotiated settlement can lead to peace and stability. However, by the unprecedented accumulation of offensive weaponry in massive scale Azerbaijan seriously endangers regional and international security, despite its membership in the UN Security Council.

Unlike Azerbaijan, Armenia has on several occasions reiterated and in response to the Enniskillen appeal of the Presidents of USA, Russian Federation and France, once again re-affirmed its commitment to the principles of international law, particularly the non-use of force or the threat of force, equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and territorial integrity”.

Minister further mentions that “[B]aku refused not only the Basic Principles, but also confidence-building measures proposed by the Co-Chairs on consolidation of ceasefire, withdrawal of the snipers from the line of contact and the establishment of a mechanism for investigation of the ceasefire violations.

Azerbaijan not only obstructs confidence-building measures, but also periodically organizes provocations on the line of contact with Nagorno-Karabakh and on the border with Armenia, which result in new casualties”.

Nalbandian mentioned that ‘[R]egardless of Azerbaijan’s destructive stance, Armenia will continue its efforts towards the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict exclusively through peaceful means and on the basis of the purposes, principles and norms reflected in the UN Charter and the provisions of L’Aquila, Muskoka, Deauville, Los Cabos and Enniskillen statements of the three Co-Chair countries’ Presidents.”

Further, the minister highlighted the Human Rights Council 2013 resolution on Prevention of Genocide initiated by Armenia and co-sponsored by over 60 countries. He stated that the recognition, condemnation and prevention of genocide remains a priority for Armenia, and that Armenia will take necessary actions to prevent new occurrences of the crime of genocide, while keeping high on the agenda the issue of responsibility for the crime against humanity and its denial. As a nation that has survived the first genocide of the twentieth century, Armenia unequivocally welcomes the clear position adopted by the UN member states in precluding any possibility of immunity or pardon for perpetrators of crimes against humanity.

During his visit to New York, Mr. Nalbandian met the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The latter welcomed Armenia’s active diplomatic involvement in various international multilateral processes. During the meeting, the parties discussed the Syrian crisis and the issue of refugees from Syria. Minister Nalbandian briefed Ban Ki-moon about the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation process and presented the efforts by Armenia and the international community towards peaceful resolution of the conflict.
During his visit, minister Nalbandian held a number of bilateral meetings, including meetings with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, as well as co-chairs of the Minsk group, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy.

On September 26, Minister Edward Nalbandian signed the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families at the UN headquarters.

On the same day, the Foreign Ministers of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization member states held a non-official meeting, which was chaired by Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in the framework of the Armenian Chairmanship in BSEC Organization.

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